support and grip underfoot. Finally, note that mobile phone coverage is at best patchy.
Food and drink
A number of these walks take you past a pub or a café at some stage, but if you intend to rely on them for a snack or meal, do check in advance that they will be open. It is, in any case, always advisable to pack emergency rations, in case your walk takes longer than anticipated. Also carry plenty to drink, particularly when the weather is warmer, as dehydration can be a significant problem. Drinking from streams is not always a good idea, and in limestone country they can be something of a rarity in any case.
Taking your car
If you travel to the start of the walk by car, remember that the roads, never intended for today’s traffic volumes, are generally narrow, have many bends and several very steep hills. Extra care is needed as slow-moving farm vehicles, animals, pedestrians, horse riders and cyclists may lie around any corner. And, while you might be enjoying a leisurely drive soaking up the beauty of the countryside, the car behind could contain a local just going about his daily business, so be a courteous driver and pull over as soon as it is convenient to allow faster-moving traffic to safely pass. Wherever possible, use the official car parks. This helps to reduce congestion, avoid obstruction and protect verges, and gives a measure of protection against car crime. The revenue from National Park car parks is used to improve services for visitors to the park. If there is no car park available, please park considerately and ensure that you do not obstruct field or farm accesses or cause damage.
The distant Howgills beckoning from Barkin Top (Walk 30)
Leaving your car behind
However, leaving the car behind not only helps the environment, but opens a wealth of other opportunities for your visit. Instead of confining yourself to circular walks, which most of us accept as the norm for a day out, you can broaden your horizons in walking from one dale to the next. Combined with an overnight stay or two you can truly become a traveller and begin to appreciate the relationships between the different valleys. The Dales offers several real alternatives to using the car. There is a frequent rail service along the Settle– Carlisle line serving the upper Ribble Valley, Dent Head and Garsdale. Regular bus services run into most of the popular dales, with additional services at weekends and during the summer. Full details are available from the Travel Dales website (www.traveldales.org.uk).
Cycling is another environmentally friendly way of getting about. Take your own bike, perhaps leaving the car at one of the fringe car parks, or hire a machine when you get there. You will find useful information on the Cycle The Yorkshire Dales website (www.cyclethedales.org.uk). If you have the time, spend a couple of relaxing days in the area rather than stressfully travelling back and forth on day visits. There is a wealth of inviting bed and breakfast, hotel and inn accommodation available as well as campsites, and the area has a wonderful reputation for its food. Check out www.yorkshiredales.org/accommodation.
USING THIS GUIDE
The walks in this book are for everyone, from novices to experienced ramblers, although newcomers to walking are advised to develop their abilities and confidence on the shorter walks before progressing onto the more demanding routes. However, none of the walks in this book are technically difficult and, in good weather, pose few navigational problems. Simple skills such as the ability to use a map and compass will help keep you on the right track, and are essential in poor visibility. The network of public footpaths and tracks is extensive and signposts and waymarks are generally well positioned to confirm the route. On the upper moors and indeed across many of the valley meadows, the actual line of the path is not always distinct, but the way is often discernible along a ‘trod’. Defined as a ‘mark made by treading’ a trod, by its nature, becomes more obvious the more it is walked, and indeed may develop over time as a path. But on the upper slopes, it is a less tangible thing, a slight flattening of the grass or reeds punctuated with an occasional boot print. It may differ from a sheep track only in that it has purposeful direction and requires an element of concentration to stay on the right course.
With the exception of famous The Three Peaks walk which is 23 miles long, the walks described in detail here range in distance from three and a half to 13 miles (5.6 to 20.9km), with a few suggestions for devising longer walks by combining those walks. While the longer walks require an appropriate degree of physical fitness, none demand more than an ability to walk. The Dales are hilly rather than mountainous and, with gains in altitude during the walks of between 190m (623ft) and 730m (2395ft), climbs are generally moderate with any steep sections usually brief. And in any case, the captivating scenery so begs attention that frequent pauses for retrospective admiration are almost mandatory.
Almost all of the walks are circular, most beginning from recognised car parks, most of which are furnished with public toilets. However, public transport in the Dales, particularly during the summer months and at weekends now offers a real alternative for reaching many of the more popular locations and increases the opportunity for adapting and devising many satisfying ‘one way’ walks around the routes described in the book. Yorkshire’s hospitality is renowned and you’ll find welcoming pubs, cafés and tea shops throughout the area, although it is always a good idea to check opening times in advance if you are relying on a somewhere for a meal. Details of the terrain and nature of the walk together with the local facilities available are given in a box at the start of each walk.
PART 1: LOWER WHARFEDALE AND BARDEN MOOR
The River Wharfe as it runs below Grass Wood (Walk 5)
WALK 1
Bolton Abbey
| Start | Strid Wood (SE 058563) |
| Distance | 6.5 miles (10.5km) |
| Total Ascent | 320m (1050ft) |
| Time | 2hr30 |
| Terrain | Rougher paths over Middle Hare Head |
| Maps | Explorer OL2 – Yorkshire Dales (Southern & Western areas) |
| Refreshments | Dusty Bluebells Tea Room at start and Pavilion Café at Posforth Bridge |
| Toilets | Beside car park and at Posforth Bridge |
| Parking | Strid Wood car park |
Well-made paths run along both flanks of the Wharfe between Bolton Bridge and Barden Bridge and, with several other crossing points between the two (but not at The Strid), there are various possibilities for circular walks, from a simple two-mile (3km) stroll to a satisfying eight-mile (13km) circuit. The route described here combines the best stretches of the river with a taste of the open moors above.
Leaving the Strid Wood car park go right along the lane, crossing to a stile from which a path is signed up the field edge to Broad Park. Over another stile in the top corner, turn right and follow a clear path contouring the hillside above the wall. Ahead lies the expansive sweep of Barden Moor while to the right is a picturesque view along Wharfedale to Barden Tower, from here looking more like a baronial castle than the ruin of a mere hunting lodge. Keep with the main path as it describes a gentle arc across the moor, eventually rising at the far side to a wooden stile blocking a gap in a stone wall. Carry on to a gate beside a lane.
Remain inside the wall, turning left and following it up some 250m to a stile. Now strike a left diagonal line up the hillside to meet a clear path running along the top. Follow it left through a gateway, rising over Middle Hare Head and then swinging left beside a wall below old workings on Little Hare Head. Continuing downhill the prospect opens across the lower reaches of Wharfedale to Barden Fell.
Leaving the moor through a gate, walk away along a trod. Ignore a crossing track by concrete covers pertaining to an underground pipeline from the reservoir,